Shadow and Bone Season 2 will expedite Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone trilogy, covering both Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising. Entertainment Weekly's conversation with showrunners Eric Heisserer and Daegan Fryklind revealed that the Netflix series would adapt the second and third installments of Bardugo's original trilogy. Season 1 follows the plot of the first book, Shadow and Bone. Of course, the series will continue to take influences from other Grishaverse books, like the Six of Crows duology. However, the showrunners' plans for the Crows hint at the characters receiving a larger focus sooner than fans anticipated.
At least the beginning of Season 2 will pull from Siege and Storm, but the Crows' plot won't be identical to the Six of Crows duology. Shadow and Bone will still contain nods to the Crows' stories with lines like "No mourners, no funerals." However, Heisserer believes the Six of Crows duology is "a beefy and robust story that requires its own lane." Heisserer's declaration that the series has "bigger ambition" for Six of Crows' Ice Court heist instills a lot of hope for what's to come.
What Does Shadow and Bone's Expedited Timeline Mean?
The choice to utilize the remaining Shadow and Bone books in Season 2 is efficient for a few reasons. It signals that the plot will move swiftly, propelling Alina's arc as the Sun Summoner forward with an engaging velocity. It also opens the Netflix series up to set up or follow threads from Bardugo's latest Grishaverse duology, King of Scars and Rule of Wolves. Since Season 2 will introduce Nikolai Lantsov, a character at the center of those books, there's a great chance nods to those stories will appear throughout the season.
Most importantly, Heisserer and Fryklind's decision to adjust the timeline showcases a deep understanding of how best to serve the Crows' story on the show. The events of their duology require a more independent arc, differing from how the Crows appeared in Season 1. Understandably, their involvement in the show's debut season hinged on the heroine's story and how they could or should intersect. As Shadow and Bone's timeline gets closer to the Six of Crows duology, that will shift.
How Does Shadow and Bone's New Timeline Affect the Crows?
Shadow and Bone Season 2 will introduce the final Crow in Jack Wolfe as Wylan Hendricks. With that piece of the puzzle, the show opens itself up to countless stories featuring the Crows -- ones from the books and otherwise. One of the season's most pressing narratives will be breaking Matthias Helvar out of Hellgate. Assuming the build-up and execution of that heist takes up a substantial amount of the season, the timing would line up for Season 3 to shift Shadow and Bone's focus towards the Crows.
As the original trilogy comes to an end, Alina's story can shift into the position that the Crows hold now. This possibility tracks, considering Alina is only mentioned in Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom and King of Scars. The Sun Summoner doesn't reappear until the second book of Bardugo's second Grishaverse duology, Rule of Wolves. In the meantime, Heisserer and Fryklind can actualize their ambitious plans for the Ice Court heist. By then, the Crows will have plenty of character development and heist experience to fall back on.
While Season 2 won't feature Six of Crows' biggest mainstays, it will contribute to the solid foundation that Season 1 built for them. Shadow and Bone's alternate timeline introducing the Crows early builds momentum for their biggest moments in the Grishaverse. The time well spent with the characters and their dynamics enhances viewers' emotional investment in their stories. Shadow and Bone Season 2 has the opportunity to reinforce that the slow-burn anticipation of the events of Six of Crows will be worth it.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 premieres March 16, 2023 on Netflix.